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Doing some spring cleaning and have my interior bits off the car to do some deep cleaning.
I noticed my classic grey vinyl has a varying degrees of haze which I assume is 20 years of grime fused to top of the vinyl. I did the first step to carefully scrub it with a sponge and soapy warm water. Mediocre results.
May no be dirt. Vinyl gasses out components over time. It becomes dull and brittle. May be better to use a vinyl treatmen or for really dried out parts use a plastic compatible paint.
Kinda along the lines of what Andy said, (sans the gassing out of components), if you scrub these vinyl pieces with vinyl cleaner (or most any other cleaner for that matter), you will notice the gray color comes off on the towel, rag, brush...
The vinyl dye/paint, would be the methodology to use for consistency of color, if that's what you desire, and there have been some very detailed write ups on the subject.
Then, spray on a light mist of this and allow 15 to 30 minutes for it to absorb and even itself out on the surface (don't rush this part- let it work itself in). Lightly wipe. If you're spreading product around as you wipe, you either put on too much or you started wiping too soon. Might need a second application on old vinyl. Leaves a very natural, even, new-looking matte/satin finish. https://www.walmart.com/ip/303-UV-Pr...fl-oz/45626475
Yep - this is my go-to product for really dirty interior plastic and vinyl. The key to any interior surface cleaning is to agitate with a soft brush, and use a microfiber towel to wipe down after. Or, lots of folks use an all-purpose cleaner as another option on really dirty plastics (see P21S, Meguiars, etc), but I've always felt like those are stronger cleaners/degreasers than necessary for interior plastics and vinyl.
This method won't fix faded or damaged trim, but it will remove any surface grime for sure. And I'm also a fan of 303 for plastic/vinyl dressing, as mentioned previously. Or for a matte finish surface (like modern soft-touch/rubberized surfaces), try NextZett Cockpit Premium. 993 interior surfaces are more plasticy than modern cars, so I'd probably start with 303 followed by a dry mf cloth to pat down after and remove any excessive sheen.
Thanks everyone. The vinyl is not damaged nor hard. The soap wash did remove some of the grime as the pieces are noticeably brighter. I do see there is still some discoloration in high touch/wear areas like the door handle/window sill/arm rests which have some grime in the fine grains of the vinyl. Trying to even the tone as even as possible short of doing a redye, which is too much work for now.
Going to tomorrow to Oreileys and see what they have. I do have simple green. Never used it on interior cleaning. On their website they claim its safe for vinyl. Have any of you tried?
I use simply green all the time on my truck's interior plastics and haven't had any troubles. If you have any concern you can always dilute it and test it in an inconspicuous area.
Yep - this is my go-to product for really dirty interior plastic and vinyl.
Totally agree. I have given up on all the other cleaners. This is the ONLY one that easily removed white sunscreen residue off black door panels and left a perfect matte finish. In fact, I just ordered more because I always like to have a bottle on hand when the kids manage to jump in one of my cars loaded up with sunscreen.
Yep - this is my go-to product for really dirty interior plastic and vinyl. The key to any interior surface cleaning is to agitate with a soft brush, and use a microfiber towel to wipe down after. Or, lots of folks use an all-purpose cleaner as another option on really dirty plastics (see P21S, Meguiars, etc), but I've always felt like those are stronger cleaners/degreasers than necessary for interior plastics and vinyl.
This method won't fix faded or damaged trim, but it will remove any surface grime for sure. And I'm also a fan of 303 for plastic/vinyl dressing, as mentioned previously. Or for a matte finish surface (like modern soft-touch/rubberized surfaces), try NextZett Cockpit Premium. 993 interior surfaces are more plasticy than modern cars, so I'd probably start with 303 followed by a dry mf cloth to pat down after and remove any excessive sheen.
good luck!
I use the same stuff: NextZett products and 303, and have had good results.
I’m not a fan of Simple Green. It’s a really harsh cleaner (IMO) that causes aluminum to haze and oxidize. While I’m sure your vinyl can survive it, I think there are better products for the purpose.
Nextzett makes a "cockpit" and a "plastic cleaner". I would go with the plastic cleaner in this case, although the cockpit would probably make a nice difference (but need more elbow grease). The plastic cleaner would make quick work of those parts and I'd bet would make them look like new.
I would finish with 303 as the final coat because I like the satin finish, but 303 isn't as good of a cleaner.
This is a very useful discussion!
I have never really cleaned the inside of my 993 beyond a quick Armor-All wipe-down.
Went out and purchased some:
Nextzett Deep Plastic cleaner and some
303 Protectant
I still don't know why vinyl and plastic cleaner is used with the word "deep cleaning". Plastic & Vinyl is not very porous like leather or fiber so using the word "deep" is probably a little misleading.
They are not selling women's cosmetics after all. A
Vinyl or leather cleaner from lexol works well. Soft brush works great.
Clorox wipe also works for light color interior but I would not use it on a gray interior like yours unless you dilute it with some water sprayed first. I use this for my steering wheel and it is always tarnished w black marking.
02-17-2018, 07:46 PM
How to deep clean vinyl?
